Arctic Freezer 7 pro latched in all the way and still feels loose

[TmBlackFlag]

AF7 owners,

I know I have this down all the way and it just feels loose. I put the stock cooler on just to compared and the thing feels a hell of a lot tighter. Is the AF7 practically useless without an bolt through kit?

 

[mc9686]

I have 6 of these and I do see some variance in the tension. The least is from a unit from Newegg, as an "open box" I got for $11. It was unused, TIM was perfect, but maybe at the factory they knew some units were out of tolerance - just a guess.

Just as I bought a Artic Cooler for a 7800GT, a screw was not assembled correctly (crooked) and the unit was in a perfect new sealed package. Maybe they just dump imperfect parts.

But in either case, there was no impact on performance for me. I was skeptical of the low clamping force, but my temps are the same as a similar system I have. On my 1st unit, I actually replaced the pins with #8-32 screws and nuts. With this method, you have 100% control over tension, but must be careful. I've had that unit on & off atleast 10 times and not had a problem - just be even and consistent. You might consider this approach if you see temps similar to the stock cooler.

 

[Mondoman]

If you haven't already, double-check the obvious things, such as not having the pins turned completely in the direction *opposite* the arrows before pushing, and make sure all pins are all the way through the other side.

 

[DerwenArtos12]

First off this really should be in the cases and cooling section. Secondly, any cooler mounted with the standard push pin method is liable to get some stretching in the pins either from time or being installed and un-installed a few time. I do genuinely reccomend a bolt through kit to replace the stock plastic pins, if for nothing more than piece of mind. They can be had for about $5 plus shipping and greatly reduce the chance of anything going wrong.